Grady was a considerate lover. He made certain she was ready for him before sliding home and pumping for what seemed hours, making her come over and over before finding his own pleasure in her body. He encouraged her to be creative and she rode him during one of their more memorable climaxes, bouncing hard against his thighs, shouting her delight to the moon.
They lay together deep in the night and slept in each other’s arms. When the sunlight roused them, Grady took her again, loving her slow and long, drawing out the pleasure, to hold against the future when they would be parted.
As they dressed and packed up, Gina felt sad. She’d only just found this wonderful man and within hours, she’d be leaving, perhaps never to see him again.
“What’s wrong?” Grady Prime was observant, she’d give him that. For all that he was new to having and interpreting emotions, he was getting very good at it.
“Just thinking about things I can’t change.” She tried to put a brave face on it, but apparently failed when he drew closer, pulling her into a loose embrace. His eyes, when she met them, were filled with determination.
“I will find you again, Gina. I will come for you, no matter where you are or what you are doing. You’re mine.” His possessive words shocked her. “I’ll give you some time to get used to the idea, but remember this—I have never failed to track down a target and you just rose to the top of my list.”
“I’m not your enemy, Grady.” She made a small attempt at humor though her heart was in turmoil.
His lips brushed lightly over hers, and she struggled to focus.
“Never that, little one. But I will be your mate. Mark my words and do not forget me while you pursue your duty. As soon as I am free to do so and you have had time to come to terms with my claim, I’ll come for you, Gina. Even the Patriarch cannot stand in the way of true mates. It is our oldest and most sacred law.”
“You believe so strongly that I’m your mate? How can you know this soon?”
“My race has done it this way for centuries. A Hum, a Kiss, an Embrace. That’s all we need to recognize our perfect mate. I believe in my heart that you’re it for me, Gina.” He released her fully, though his gaze stayed locked with hers. “We will do the tests so you can see the proof, when I return. For now, think of me as you go about your mission. I’ll most certainly be thinking of you.”
Chapter Five
There was no one in her life that Gina respected more than the Zxerah Patriarch. He’d taken her in and given her a home when all she’d ever known had been destroyed. He and his followers had protected her when she could no longer protect herself. She owed him. But more than that, she loved him like the family she’d lost. He was part father, part protective brother at times, and he made her feel secure. It was unfortunate that he could never return the sentiment.
He was Alvian and therefore emotionless. Even the Zxerah had embraced the genetic alterations that had changed the rest of the Alvian population from almost ferally aggressive to completely unemotional in a matter of a few generations. The Zxerah had rushed to embrace the genetic changes that they now realized were detrimental to the further existence and evolution of the Alvian race. Now the Zxerah embraced a new strategy. They worked behind the scenes—as they always had in Alvian society—for change. Big change.
And Gina was going to be instrumental in the first steps of that change. Or so she had been informed by the Patriarch. He’d come to her weeks ago with a mission she was loath to reject. In fact, she relished the idea of being among the first to set the wheels in motion that could save both their races—Alvian and human alike.
“Your skills and your temperament are perfect for this mission, Gina. And Eve says too, it must be you, though I would have chosen you for your skill even without her input.” The Patriarch had given her a smile, though it lacked true emotion. He’d once explained he felt echoes of emotion that sometimes plagued him—most often longing for something he couldn’t understand.
Eve was another adopted human member of the clan who had a strong gift of prophecy, and it was her gift that often guided the Patriarch in his seemingly quixotic moves. Gina had just a touch of foresight herself, and she’d felt the rightness of his request that she take on this mission. Though she might very well be going into a lion’s den, she knew she was the right person for the job. Why? She couldn’t say exactly. But this was as it should be.
“I understand, Patriarch.” She had bowed her head, but hadn’t broken eye contact—a show of utmost respect.
“You must make contact with these people and put them in touch with the others. It is vital they discover each other’s existence and learn to work together in whatever small ways they can as soon as possible. Things are moving fast. We must all be ready when the time comes.”
“Yes, Patriarch. I’ll do my best.”
“You will succeed, daughter.”
Gina had stilled. He’d never called her that before. It was a sign of respect reserved for those students granted the highest rankings in the Zxerah way. Gina had come to the Zxerah as an adult, already highly trained in traditional human martial arts. The way of the Zxerah was even more intense. She’d learned a great deal in the years since her adoption into the clan, but none of the human adoptees had ever been granted the title of daughter or son of the clan. It was a high honor and totally unexpected.
Tears had gathered in her eyes. She had refused to let them fall. The Patriarch had noticed anyway and a kind smile graced his face.
“You deserve the honor, Gina. You are the best of the human students in our clan. And it is good to see evidence that this honor touches your emotions, though I cannot fully comprehend such things. It gives me…hope…if the ancient ones allow me to take such a word to describe the echoes I feel when I look into your eyes. I pray all our clan will one day be able to feel as you and your human brethren do.”
“I hope so too, Patriarch. We human Zxerah will keep the flame of hope alive for you until you can join us in feeling its warmth.”
He had grasped her hands and she felt the tingle of his power. He wasn’t an old man, but he was one of the holiest, strongest, most powerful and at peace beings she’d ever known. He had vision. Not the kind granted to some psychic humans. It was the powerful, non-psychic kind of vision. He knew what he wanted and believed in his convictions strongly enough to act on them in a way that would change not only his life or his clansmen’s lives, but the lives of all Alvians and humans on earth. He was a visionary with no psychic gifts. Only the power of his own beliefs.
It was enough.
It had to be.
Gina set out on her mission later that morning. She had said farewell to Grady Prime as they left the small clearing that had been their own private Eden for the night. He was utterly devastating, but she had a mission to perform that was more important than anything else. No matter how much she might wish otherwise.
She felt his eyes on her as she left the compound accompanied by the two winged soldiers the Patriarch and Sinclair Prime had chosen for this mission. The team of winged brethren was tasked with flying her across the many miles she had to traverse. They would take turns carrying her short distances, then they would rest a few moments and tackle the next leg of the journey.
Hanlon was a strawberry blond who would be cute if he ever smiled and Shaugness had dark blond hair and a constantly dour expression. This was the first time, to her knowledge, that the winged brethren had been asked to work closely with one of the human adoptees. She knew they were curious about her—as curious as they could be, seeing that they had little emotion to call their own—but they didn’t ask any questions other than to inquire how she was holding up every once in a while.